How to trigger your spiritual gifts! Sometimes, when you plug an electrical appliance into an outlet, you may notice a small blue spark. In most situations, this is a normal event as the electrons begin to flow into the appliance's power cord.
A spark is triggered when the electric field strength exceeds approximately 4–30 kV/cm — the dielectric field strength of air. This may cause a very rapid increase in the number of free electrons and ions in the air, temporarily causing the air to abruptly become an electrical conductor in a process called dielectric breakdown.
Static electricity is generated whenever two materials are in contact with each other. All materials are made of electrical charges in the material atoms. In the universe there are equal amounts of negative electrical charge (electrons) and positive charge (protons). These generally try to stay in balance of equal amounts at every location.
However, when two materials are in contact, some of the charges redistribute by moving from one material to the other.
The Holy Spirit and the gifts are received by laying of hands of people in Spiritual authority
1 Timothy 4:14 Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you.
Illustration
A man from the U.S. decided to travel to Quebec to go duck hunting. He shot and dropped a bird, but it fell into a farmer's field on the other side of the fence. As the flatlander climbed over the fence, a dairy farmer drove up on his tractor and asked what was going on. The hunter said, "I shot a duck and I'm retrieving it." The old farmer replied, "This is my property and you're not coming over here!"
Well, this made the hunter mad so he said, "If you don't let me come over the fence I'll call my New York lawyer and I'll sue you." The farmer smiled and said, "Apparently you don't know how we do things up here. We settle disagreements with the Quebec three-kick rule. I'll kick you three times, and then you kick me three times, and so on, back and forth, until someone gives up."
The man from U.S. liked this challenge because he thought he could easily take the old farmer. The Quebec Farmer climbed down from the tractor and planted the steel toe of his heavy work boot into the man's shin. The man fell to his knees. His second kick went directly to his stomach, knocking the wind out of him. The farmer than landed his third kick to the side of the hunter's head. The disoriented man slowly got up and said, "Okay, you old codger, now it's my turn!" To which the farmer responded, "Nah, I give up. You can have the duck."
Many of us battle over things as well. Sometimes we fight because of a lack of information and other times we kick people simply because we want to. As we've been learning in our series called, "Improving Your Serve," most of us default to our selfish settings instead of looking for ways to put others first.
The whole topic of spiritual gifts has been a battleground for many years, going back to the church at Corinth. This tension can result from an overemphasis on certain gifts, or it can come because we like to pick fights with those who are wired differently than we are.
Chapter 12 gives us some instructions to help us unlock or spark our spiritual assets.
1. ¬ Be Informed
When we come to 1 Corinthians 12-14 we see that Paul wanted to make sure that they had a proper understanding about spiritual gifts. The church at Corinth desperately needed instruction on this topic, and so do we. Notice verse 1 of chapter 12: "Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant." This is a topic that is too important for believers to be uninformed about and it's certainly too critical to fight about.
There is a difference between spiritual gifts and natural abilities. It's important to recognize that the Holy Spirit gives you the spiritual gift, whereas a natural talent is something we're born with. While we must yield our talents and abilities to the Lord's work, we must pay particular attention to unleashing our spiritual gifts for the good of the body of Christ.
2. Desire to be used by the Holy Spirit
1 Corinthians 12:31 But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.
1 Corinthians 14:1 Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.
1 Corinthians 14:39 So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues.
What is your main desire? Most people desire nothing but material things. They have self-oriented desires that have to do with comfort, success, possessions. Can you do yourself a favor and check your desires today? If you have no desire to be used by God I must wake you up and tell you that I doubt you're on your way to heaven.
How do we move beyond our languishing desire for God and kingdom of Self prayers? How do we cultivate desire for God and love for others, so that we will transgress the boundary between our private world and the public need? Here are three suggestions:
1. Repent and ask God's forgiveness for not desiring him. The Scriptures are filled with commands to rejoice in the Lord, to delight in him, to sing His praise. Our indifference to the infinitely desirable God calls for repentance. Fortunately, God is also abounding in loving kindness and patience and gladly extends us forgiveness.
2. 2. Cultivate a real relationship with the Holy Spirit. Begin each day by drawing near to God and asking for a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit (Eph 5:18). Most of us wake up empty or half-full. We need the Spirit of God to give us fresh affection and desire for God and belief in the gospel. It is the Spirit that awakens us to the beauty and glory of God. Ask the Spirit to guide your prayers (Rom 8:26-27; Jud 1:20; Eph 6:18).
3. Confess Scriptures that promise God's work to give us desire for him.
• "Draw near to God and he will draw near to you." James 4:8
• "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4
• "God is faithful, who has called us to fellowship with his Son, Christ Jesus our Lord." 1 Corinthians 1:9
3. ¬ Identify and cultivate your main Spiritual Gift without neglecting your call.
Look at verse 7: "Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good." The word "manifest" means to make plain. Spiritual gifts are given to make plain the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. This verse teaches us two things. First, every born again believer has been given the manifestation of the Spirit.
Notice the phrase, "each one." Every Christian has been given at least one spiritual gift.
1 Corinthians 7:7 I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.
If you need some help in figuring out your spiritual gift, you could attend the ISOM classes available in our Church. Or attend to Spiritual Gifts seminars that we usually do on a regular basis.
There is no magic formula or definitive test that can tell us exactly what our spiritual gifts are. The Holy Spirit distributes the gifts as He determines. A common problem for Christians is the temptation to get so caught up in our spiritual gift that we only seek to serve God in the area in which we feel we have been gifted. That is not how the spiritual gifts work. God calls us to obediently serve Him in all things. He will equip us with whatever gift or gifts we need to accomplish the task He has called us to.
The one person who knows exactly how we are spiritually gifted is the gift-giver Himself—the Holy Spirit. We can ask God to show us how we are gifted in order to better use our spiritual gifts for His glory.
As we learn what are the gifts that we flow in more frequently we need to develop them and this takes us to our last point of this message.
4. Use Your Gift in Service
While it's important to identify your gifts, it's not enough. Gifts are given to be used. Verses 12-30 describe how the church is like the human body, with each part playing a critical role in the functioning of the body. You've been given gifts and a key role to play in this church. Until each of us implement our gifts, our church will not mature in faith. Look at verse 14: "Now the body is not made up of one part but of many." The foot needs the hand, and the ear needs the eye. Likewise, we all need each other. If you're hoarding your gifts and not using them, the entire body is handicapped.
The church at Corinth had elevated some of the sign gifts and had relegated the "lesser" gifts to second-class status
1 Peter 4:10: "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms."
1 Timothy 4:14 14 Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you.
Paul's concern for young Timothy was that he not only be able to identify his gift, but that he would implement it: "Do not neglect your gift...I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God"
Do you need to allow the Spirit to fan your gift into full flame? Are you burning bright for Him, or are you just flickering or smoldering?
A well-known conductor was holding a rehearsal one night with a vast array of musicians and a hundred-voice choir. While the mighty chorus sang out, the horns blared and the cymbals clashed. Sitting far back in the orchestra, the piccolo player thought to herself, "With all these loud instruments, it doesn't matter what I do. They don't need me." And so she stopped playing. Suddenly the conductor stopped the music and looked right at the piccolo player and said, "It doesn't sound right without you. If you don't play, the concert's off. We need you."
You're needed in this church! God has gifted you and now He wants to use you. Don't allow yourself to think you don't matter. Nobody is a "nobody" in the body of Christ. No one can do everything, but everyone can do something.
Conclusion
Remember that we talked about how static electricity is generated whenever two materials are in contact with each other. All materials are made of electrical charges in the material atoms. In the universe there are equal amounts of negative electrical charge (electrons) and positive charge (protons). These generally try to stay in balance of equal amounts at every location.
However, when two materials are in contact, some of the charges redistribute by moving from one material to the other.
The Holy Spirit and the gifts are received by laying of hands of people in Spiritual authority
"And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the LORD commanded Moses" (Deuteronomy 34:9).
"Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money" (Acts 8:17-18).
"And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost" (Acts 9:17).
"And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied" (Acts 19:6).
1 Timothy 4:14 14 Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you.
Altar call: Call all of those who want to receive the Holy Spirit and walk in the Spiritual gifts.
1. Receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, repentance from sins
2. Ask for the Holy Spirit
3. Laying of hands
